You need to get out there and to get seen so that people want you rather than looking for a general entertainer, busking is good but also get into the supermarkets. This should be a lot easier this month as we have comic relief coming up so you can promote yourself while helping a good cause and also inform the local newspaper as they may be able to run a story with pictures on how much you raised etc.

Another thought although I've never looked in to it would be to get into the local library, my one in Sutton has art exhibitions and I've always thought it would be good to use the space and actually make something big there on the spot as it would get peoples interest and again may be something else for the local paper and loads of family's and children use the library.

Make use of any opportunity that comes your way - I do a radio show for our local hospital radio station, as part of that we do the Public Address for local carnivals and fetes.

To help our fund raising at these events I've done some twisting and have had good results from people asking for a card and a few bookings coming from helping out the charity. Even if you're not directly linked o a charity you can still use this - if you see a story in your local paper about a fund raising event offer your services for a short spell on the condition that you can hand out cards etc.

As Graham said if you're out there and visible people will remember you, even if there isn't an event you can 'piggy back' make an 'event' of your own such as Graham has suggested or Graeme 'Billy Wiz' did with his marathon at Tescos which benefited his charity and no doubt earned some valuable publicity for his business at the same time.

Get your card up on the notice boards of places such as village halls, supermarkets etc

Teach a class, write an article on some aspect of your business. These position you as an expert, someone who knows what he/she's talking about. Prepare properly, use good spelling and grammar, and keep your message positive.

Just an idea I have been playing around with. For those from other parts in the UK we have a scheme were on the back of commercial vehicles there is a sticker that says “how’s my driving” and with a phone number. Playing on this I was thinking of having a t-shirt printed with this on.

here it is to read...Here a list of tips that may help you get your name out there and get more bookings. Some tips may not apply to all magicians but maybe there is an idea or 2 that you will find useful:

1. Get a web site. Make sure it looks professional with good action photos and description of you act. Try to optimize your site so your page comes up in the top 10 results for the name of your city and the word magician. Get as many links to your page from other sites as possible as this helps increase you page ranking in search engines.

2. Always carry business cards. Hand them out to everyone who could book you. Don't get the super cheap ones that don't look professional but do not get the most expensive ones either so you can give them away freely.

3. Try an online booking service such as partypop.com, gigmasters.com, or gigsalad.com. Some offer a money back guarantee so there is little risk to signing up. The cost of the service can often be paid for one year by booking one show.

4. Tell everyone you know that you are a magician for hire and the types of shows you do. You want your friends to be able to say "I know this great magician..."

5. Volunteer for some free community service shows at a library or other community function to spread goodwill and get your name out there.

6. Advertise free on craiglist.org You need to keep inserting your ad as they expire in 7 days in some areas and up to 90 days in others.

7. Make flyers (simply a black copy on colored paper is most economical) and distribute them on cars around events where your target market may be (e.g. a local children's event for a kid's show magician.)

8. Find out who the local party and event planners are in your area are and meet with them. Perhaps even offer to do a free or reduced rate show for them. If you are good and do them a favor, they'll repay the favor ten-fold.

9. Construct a cover letter and simple brochure to mail out to your target audience and event planners. This is a good approach for school shows, libraries, and other organizations where you can identify the right people to send the letter. Try dropping it off in person for that special touch if possible.

10. Do something newsworthy and write a press release to send to local newspapers. Be sure to include information on how you can be contacted. The newsworthy items could be performing at a benefit, charity event, or even a stunt such as a blindfold drive.

11. Keep an e-mail list of prior engagements and e-mail them annually around the time they booked you last time. They may have a recurring need for show for a birthday party, school event, or corporate function.

12. Use assistant certificates to hand out to all children at birthday party shows. Do a trick where they all help by shouting the magic word and they are all assistants. Make sure your contact information is on the certificate.

13. Try contacting the local community center in your town to provide magic lessons to children. They will advertise the lessons in the local community classes booklet that is sent to homes and pay you. Also, a great way to get you name out there. You can usually also sell required class materials (books, simple props) to add extra income.

14. Leave a small stack of business cards at places where your target audience may frequent. (e.g. party supply stores, bakeries for birthday party shows, etc.)

15. Post a sign on local community billboards. Make sure there is a tear-off strip or card they can take with them.

16. Get listed in local online directories under entertainment.

17. Fill out a free profile on everymagician.com

18. Try small classified ads in local newspapers or free local magazines. Make sure to measure your results by asking where they got your name from. Pay for bigger ads in publications that seem to be working for you.

19. Write a general interest article about magic for your local newspaper. Be sure to include your bio information.

20. Work with your local school, church group, PTA, or other organization to help them do a fund-raiser magic show. You arrange an equitable split of ticket sales and they provide the venue and help promote the show.

21. Make a special offer to book shows. For example, you could offer a monthly special of 10% off if they book you during that month. Offers should be time-bound and encourage signing-up now. You may also offer discounts during period where you are typically less busy based on time or year or days of the week.

22. Get some references that can speak to prospective customers and testimonials to include in your marketing materials.

23. Make some phone calls. Call event organizers, parks & recreation personnel, school administrators, or other individuals who are responsible for booking entertainment. Ask them if they have any needs for you magic services and always follow-up with a letter with some marketing materials.

24. Ask for referrals from friends and customers. You can always ask, "Do you know anyone who may be in the market for a birthday party magician?" or "Do you know who does the event planning at this company?"

25. Get a vinyl or magnetic sign for your vehicle. Be sure to include your phone number (and web site if it's easy to remember.) Also make sure it's clear what types of work you perform (e.g. "Children's Parties a Specialty" or "Book a Magician for your Next Tradeshow or Corporate Function.") While this won't bring in the big bucks, you will get calls from people who have seen you signage on your vehicle.

26. Start an e-mail list of prospective customers. For kid's show performers, this could be a fan club membership where you e-mail them a trick they can print out and perform a few times each year. In these cases, keep track of their birthday and target an e-mail in advance of the date. If a customer booked you for an event, be sure to e-mail them when you think the planning will be occurring for the next event.

27. Put your name everywhere. Make sure you have professionally done signs for your trunks, cases, and magic tables so everyone knows who you are. Name recognition will begin to give you an edge over your competition.

28. Visit your local chamber of commerce. Ask them about upcoming conventions and events in the area. Ask them who the major event planners are in the area and get to know them.

29. Branch out. Think about expanding on the types of shows you do. There are different types of customers for different types of shows. You may be missing out on a big market in your area because "You don't do kid's shows" or "You don't do trade shows."

30. Scouting for magic. Contact you local Boy Scout Council and get a better understanding of the various cub scout packs in your area. Many packs have websites and you can get contact information from there. Blue and Gold banquet shows in the February time frame can keep many magicians busy.

31. Always think about converting the show you are performing now into a repeat customer by exceeding their expectation and providing excellent customer service. See this article for more ideas.

32. Perform as much as possible. While you don't want to undercharge for your services, your goal should be to perform as many shows as possible, and keep busy. Since much work is received via referrals, word-of-mouth, and repeat business, the more work you do, the more work you will get.

33. Keep up the marketing efforts. When you are not performing, treat marketing as part of your job. Look through the preceding list and figure out what you can be doing more of. Keep track of your most successful campaigns so you know where to focus your future efforts.

I was with Graeme (Billy Wiz ) today on a basic decorating course and he showed me his credit card which you can put any picture you like on the front. He has the one from his advert on the find a twister section with him on the motor bike, so every time he uses his credit card people are bound to talk about the bike and his very unusual credit card. So a good opportunity to give away a business card as well, you never know who you might meet.

One of the things that I do that gets me lots of bookings, is leaving balloons around town. I practice a lot and they pile up quick, so whenever I have to run errands or go shopping, I drop off a few of the balloons where ever I go. These are some of the places I leave balloons frequently...banks, bookstores, office supply store, the library, the swimming pool, preschools, nursing homes, clothing stores, dentist offices, Dr. offices, hardware stores, basically everywhere. I leave just a couple of cards so when people ask where the balloons came from they can tell them. It makes the business' happy because they have something cute on display, and it's free advertising for you.